It Happened One Night
by MarvelFan2009
Summary: Laura Kinney is caught between being herself and X-23 and trying to determine why she took Cyclops’s offer in the first place to join X-Force. Julian Keller has just arrived in San Francisco and neither has seen each other since Messiah Complex. One-shot.


Disclaimer: Writer not affiliated with Marvel in any way, shape or form, characters and original settings all belong to Marvel Comics. Just wanted to finally give X-23/Laura and Hellion/Julian a bit of attention since they both kinda got hosed from Messiah Complex for having anything good in their lives. X-Force and all related characters and such are still Marvel's of course.

Timeline: Takes place after the "Angels and Demons" arc of X-Force and "Old Ghosts", before "Messiah War" of course

It Happened One Night

Julian Keller did not have anywhere to go until he was told the X-Men had reformed in San Francisco, so that was where he went and he'd not done well since he arrived, needing to loosen up and get his mind off of things. San Francisco had him back on the West Coast, not too far away from home but reminding him he was not welcome there either. He'd not talked to Miss Frost since he had arrived either, refusing to speak with her after putting him out and not even telling him where his friends and teammates had gone, Santo, Cessily, Sooraya, Nori, David, Josh, Anole, Pixie and Laura.

Cyclops had sent Sooraya and Santo off to do something when he arrived with this whole new team of younger X-Men and he'd been left out. It made him angry because he had not been asked to get his old team back together, maybe even with him leading this time. It would have been something he knew, baiting Ashida, having a good laugh with Cessily and Santo, trying to get Sooraya to laugh at all and trying to understand Laura. Laura did scare him, her lack of reaction to death, the way she had dispatched that man after interrogating when they worked together to save Cessily from The Facility. Laura had that way of looking at everyone like she was planning to kill them if they posed a risk to her, he knew it was not always intentional, she had been programmed to be a killer. He did find himself attracted to her physically, she did have a nice body (despite being mostly Wolverine's clone) and he had seen her smile a couple of times. It had been very pretty, her face would light up when she did it.

The first time he saw her smile was when he'd just gotten Foley to heal her and save her life after Nimrod had nearly killed her. He hadn't really been able to enjoy the sight as he has immediately after passing out. He hadn't wanted to pass out right there, but he'd just flown so fast he'd gone from Texas to New York in less time than it took the X-Men to actually prep one of their jets to take off. The second time he'd seen her smile, she had not noticed he saw her do it, he'd been in the crowd at Fisherman's Wharf when he saw her with Cessily. Julian had considered going over and saying hi, but he didn't know what to say to her, he stayed in the crowd, wondering with all the people around would Laura be able to smell his particular presence. If Laura knew he was there she did not indicate it, but he saw her smile, whether it was because she sensed he was around, which he was not sure how he felt about, or if Cessily had said something he didn't know. Still, the smile had been nice, it made her seem more human, less like the statue she could be even if someone died right in front of her.

He'd had dreams about Laura since he'd come to San Francisco and thought about seeing her again. The dreams had gone two ways one being a nightmare, the other being a real dream calmed him down and gave him a good night's sleep. The first dream had him standing there and there Laura was, with that blank look on her face when she killed people and was standing over a pile of bodies and a near-river of blood. Laura would then walk over, or rather X-23 would come to him, smear blood across his face and whisper for him to join her. That would awake him with a cold sweat and a pounding heartbeat, but sooner or later he would have the second dream as well it was very relaxing. The second dream had them completely alone, it was somewhere quiet, it was a porch with a view of the Bay and he was wearing a suit. Laura was leaning against the porch rail, wearing a dress and smiling at him. Julian was quite sure he'd never seen her in a dress before or even imagined her in one until his subconscious provided the image. The dress was the same crimson red as his Hellions uniform, cut low in the front and even lower in back, with elbow-length gloves of the same colour, her long dark hair unbound and flowing across her shoulders. The dream was pleasant for him, he would stand there with her and enjoy the view, or he would take her flying, or even use his telekinesis to dance on air. They'd never actually kissed in that dream though, it was like a block in his subconscious regarding more intimate contact between them. Julian was thinking it was his subconscious telling him he shouldn't kiss her in a dream first, or that he shouldn't imagine kissing her without knowing how she would taste, how she would feel and how she'd kiss him back.

He did what he usually did when he needed to unwind, he flew. It was always exhilarating, using just his mind to propel him across the sky, or skim the San Francisco Bay barely a few feet over the water. It was night and the reflection his bright telekinetic field gave off the water could always be seen well away when he flew, which is how his hidden watcher could tell he was returning to the new sanctuary of the X-Men.

----------------

Laura Kinney, or X-23 as she wondered who she was being sometimes, did not know why she found herself drawn so often to Julian Keller, Hellion. While she was under orders from Cyclops to perform certain duties as a member of X-Force and followed those orders she did other things as well. Since Julian's near-death during their battle with the Marauders and Purifiers, Laura had kept a protective eye on Julian Keller from afar since he had arrived in San Francisco.

It had perhaps started when he had protected her during Frost's attempt to humiliate her in the New X-Men selection process but she wasn't sure. Laura had certainly found herself more drawn to him and protective of Julian when he had saved her life after their battle with Nimrod and the future Sentinel had somehow neutralized her healing factor. Laura had felt herself slipping away, she had felt pain, Kimura had made her life pain when the slightest mistake was made, but this was different. Laura couldn't feel her body putting itself back together, she was dying and she couldn't do anything, couldn't even make any sound that sounded intelligible. Julian had grabbed her and flew off with her, trying to find her help before she died, then suddenly as if willing himself to be stronger to save her, he took off at a speed that had made him the fastest moving mutant the planet had ever seen it seemed. Laura awoke with Julian standing over her relieved and Josh Foley, the healer named Elixir seemingly out of his coma and very relieved to see her alive. All she had managed to say was 'Hi' when he asked her if she was okay, with a smile she hadn't used at all since she had first met him.

It had grown more complicated from there, Julian had passed out and fallen asleep for over thirty hours, Laura would stay in his room to ensure his safety. Laura wasn't quite sure why she did it, but he had saved her life when no one else could have and if the school was attacked again she had decided she would protect him if he still had not recovered from using his powers. Emma Frost had confronted her about her protective nature towards Julian and her interest in him, but before Frost could push her further about it, her friend Cessily stepped in to defend her. Cessily then worked out that she was feeling more connected to Julian and insisted they talk about it. Laura had not really wanted to but Cessily was trying to be her friend and she was still trying to understand what that meant so she had assented to it. Laura did not understand some of the feelings she had towards Julian so she found it hard to understand Cessily's questions.

Then she had to truly show her less human side to Julian, X-23 when Cessily had been taken by Kimura. Laura had not at first thought he would be bothered with what she did, he seemed to have a certain prejudice towards non-mutants and committed to saving Cessily from The Facility. Julian had protested to her killing tactics of the people she interrogated for information, Laura had not quite understood at first but did as she was asked, mostly. Laura needed to be X-23 though in that time, The Facility was dangerous and Cessily needed rescue, for those who had become or tried to her friends, there was no limit to what Laura would do for them. They were trying to make her feel more like Laura Kinney, less like X-23 as much as they could.

The next while had been confusing, she still kept a watchful eye on Julian, but was unable to comprehend her internal reactions to when Nori had kissed him in front of her. Laura had always find her cutting cathartic, it gave her a sense of control, she chose the depth of the cuts, how many she made and often she made them. It felt better to have a sense of control over herself that wasn't a programmed Facility reflex. Seeing Julian with Nori had set off something inside, she'd tore through the bathroom with rage and slashed at her arms mercilessly to try and get the control back. Cessily had later told her she thought Laura really did like Julian and that was her lashing out and taking out her frustration when she saw Nori kiss him. Laura spent time researching some things, she had a good understanding of sexual relations due to her former life on the street. Laura had never enjoyed doing what she had done then, but living on the street, working as a prostitute to keep herself off the grid and away from Facility trackers or SHIELD agents. Laura tried to understand the attractions that occurred between people and especially teenagers such as herself and Julian that led to desires for intimate physical contact including sexual relations. Laura had trouble understanding those feelings, although she had found the last few bits of physical contact with Julian she had with him before he nearly died, were strangely intense. Laura had next seen him from afar at Fisherman's Wharf when she had gone for a walk there with Cessily, but had noticed that he was watching from afar, either afraid or unsure of what to do.

Laura also felt conflicted about having any further connection with Julian though. When she had been infected with the Legacy Virus, she had thought of her team, but also of Cessily, Sooraya, Nori and Julian. Laura had nearly caused the deaths of her teammates because of her connection to The Facility, it could not happen a second time. Elixir had talked her down, helped her heal and burn out the virus, but Laura had thought in that moment of the mission and what she had come to X-Force to do. The survival of her first teammates was essential, they'd stood by her side by side against danger, saved her life and made her feel welcome. Their lives seemed more important, she was replaceable, Wolverine's full adamantium skeleton made him more durable than her and he was capable of leadership. Laura was there to take orders and carry them out, ensure the survival of the X-Men and all mutants, survival for her did not seem as important, but thoughts of friends like Cessily and Julian complicated that.

There he was, landing in his usual spot again, a pattern was a dangerous thing to do and he did it far too often when he went on his late night flights, which Cessily told him were often.

----------------------

"You should stop landing in the same place when you fly back here, it could leave you vulnerable to an ambush." Julian turned around and fired up his telekinesis and then saw Laura jumping down from the tree.

Laura was wearing her standard clothes, choker, a white shirt that exposed her midriff and her purple jacket and tight pants that matched it..

"Yeah and you shouldn't creep up on people Laura, it kinda freaks us out. You don't do this to Cessily do you?" Julian replied, trying to figure out why Laura was waiting for him there.

"No, I do not. I was simply concerned that you had a highly predictable flight pattern that could be a target of a group like the Purifiers or Marauders. You nearly died the last time we were ambushed I… would prefer that not happen." Laura answered, glad she had decided to change out of her new uniform, she did not want him to see her wearing it.

"Well, nice to know you care. Were you waiting for me?" Julian asked, he was never sure what Laura would say, she just thought so much differently than anyone he knew.

"Yes, I have had some recent …difficulties and the concerns from them will not leave me alone. I was wondering if we could talk." Laura tried to express her concern towards his well-being, but found it difficult, exposing weakness went against her training.

"I don't think we've really talked since before well, all the craziness with the mutant baby happened. I don't really think we talked before that either but sure, you know you can count one me Laura." Julian said, trying to think of a conversation with her that lasted over two minutes, none came to mind.

"I have been asked to do things lately, things I was told would help protect you, Cessily, Sooraya and the others from our enemies. They have reminded me of what I was engineered for, they have also created conflicts for me that I can not reasonably deal with. I grew concerned when I nearly died and had not been able to resolve questions I have had concerning things I am not able to understand." Laura said with a furtive glance and restrained herself from trying to excuse herself so she could find a release with her claws.

"Laura, what have you been asked to do?" Julian asked, wondering if Miss Frost had sent off on some kind of suicide mission against Marauders, Purifiers, U-Men or something else to try and get rid of her.

"I have been sworn to secrecy, please do not mention this to anyone. I am not alone in this and I would rather not have others questioned or suspected because of my involvement. I am doing what I am doing because I feared you would die if I did not, you nearly did at the hands of Deathstrike. I killed her for that, if you did not know." Laura tried to deflect his concerns, her attempt to talk with him was not going well. It was difficult, he created unfamiliar feelings within her and they tended to interfere with her normal demeanor.

"Laura, I'm a big boy and I can take of myself. I never would've asked you to do that, kill for me." Julian said, raising his arm and powering some of his telekinetic field up as a show of his own strength.

"I know, but I could not allow her to try to kill any more of us, or attempt to finish you off if you and the others were attacked while trying to recover. You are not invulnerable and this situation should be clear to you. You were wounded during the Purifier assault on the Institute, faced near-death at the hands of Nimrod, then again were nearly killed while fighting Predator X. Then if you consider the fight in Limbo and the incident with the Marauders, you nearly died five times in the course of six weeks. The near-deaths of others like Mercury, Rockslide, Surge, Prodigy and Anole is similarly disturbing. You have all been very accommodating towards me to one degree or another since I joined you all, I could not allow you to be harmed further when I could use my abilities to prevent it." Laura stated in her flat voice, reminding him of all the near-fatal incidents he and the others had been involved in.

"Yeah, and I had to practically explode my brain to save you when Nimrod tried to vape you and I don't recall it like either of was going to beat those metal mutant-eaters at the Facility either and I threw Kimura off you there as well. It seems we're more or less even and that's how it works Laura, all the X-Men look out for each and we will make it through." Julian countered, reminding Laura that she'd had her close scrapes as well, including the time he'd put himself into a near-coma for burning out his powers saving her.

"I don't want you to think you've got to risk your life and go it alone to keep the rest of us safe, being alone against everything that's out there… it's not healthy. I woke up with no one after the Marauder thing, I actually went looking for a fight. I found Magneto, he called me an idiot and he was right. I wasn't looking for a fight at all, I was just trying to find something to hit because I was alone, you, Santo, Cessily, Sooraya, you were all gone and I was alone." Julian continued, getting closer, he didn't know why he did it, but he took her hand into his as he did so.

"Your aggressive tendencies are a problem, you often respond to situations with violence and do not consider the results of such things." Laura told Julian as she considered the light physical contact between them.

"You're lecturing me on avoiding violence Laura? I don't want to say this but that's not really something you can give me advice on." Julian said as he let go of her hand, it was troublesome, the way she could both interest him and scare him simultaneously at times.

"I meant you are too unfocused, you fight without thinking ahead, you react to a situation too quickly and do not consider consequences. I am trained to plan and react to a dangerous situation, you are far too often emotional during these situations you bring yourself in to. It is dangerous for you, that is why I am doing this and not you or the others, were you to do what I do, you would become like me and I know you do not like what I am." Laura explained herself, avoiding his gaze, remembering the shock, the anger when she had killed in front of him when they had fought to save Cessily.

"I don't understand what you are Laura, who you are. Cessily told me you tell her like you feel you're two people, but one is more powerful than the other and tries to control the other half. I don't know how that works, I know what they did to you… I know it probably makes it hard to be like us, laugh, smile, cry or relax even, knowing you're being hunted. I do know you don't have to be like this, you can be someone else if you want." Julian said getting closer to her again, he was trying to get her to say something, that what she was bothered her, he needed to know if she felt like she could be more than X-23.

"I have trouble controlling impulses, you know I spent most of my life in The Facility. I have only lived outside of it for three years and had to use my training from it many times, it reinforces memories and reflexes I have from there. It is easier to follow my training than to ignore it, finding ways to suppress it and understand what I feel when I am around friends, around you is difficult. I do not think I will have the capacity to understand them before something happens to me, either recapture by The Facility or death in the X-Men. It seems logical to use what I have now to protect you and the others from harm before I die, it is more likely I will die first than be able to adapt to a constant social setting with the others." Laura looked away as she tried to work out her reasoning for doing what she did.

It was simple in logic, but feelings she had picked up were interfering with it. Thoughts, feelings, impulses, moods she had when with Cessily and Sooraya, or with Julian were different, but her X-23 side seemed to always win out over it.

"Do you want to go flying?" Julian asked suddenly, not sure why he said.

"What?" Laura looked at confused.

"I think you need to relax a bit Laura, I know it helps me. No plane, no helicopter, just you and the fresh air while you fly over The Bay. It feels like you're totally free. Smell the water, fly right over the waves and hover in the middle of it and just take in the view." Julian offered, taking her hand and catching her eyes. Laura seemed wound up even tighter than normal, he wanted to help.

"You do not have to go anywhere? You are not tired from your earlier flight?" Laura asked, trying to find a way to politely decline the offer. Her feelings around Julian left her conflicted and this feeling of proximity, relying on him to keep her from falling was not going to help.

"I wasn't really flying that fast, I could've kept it up for hours if I wanted to. I've got nothing to do, they don't seem to think all the kids should be a team right now so we're just looking for anything to do while Summers and Frost figure out what's going on. Come on, I promise you if you don't like it I'll have you back here or anywhere you want to go in the city." Julian shrugged off his earlier flying and he didn't have anything to do, there wasn't anything to do yet.

Laura considered the offer, Julian was trying to be nice, give her something to take her mind off of things and try to relax. Laura had no obligations at the moment and there was no danger in it, Julian had displayed the ability before to fly them both with no risk to her. Laura nodded to Julian and stood right next to him, Julian smiled as he enveloped them in his neon green telekinetic field and lifted them up and then they flew away.

Julian took it slow at first, not even going more than fifty miles an hour as he skimmed over the forest towards the Bay. Laura seemed to just be looking below and at the overall landscape. Julian kicked up his speed and took them out until they were hovering over the San Francisco Bay. He loved the view when he hovered here.

"See? Lot better than hanging around underground all day long." Julian tried to get her to smile a bit, he'd only see her do it once after Elixir had saved her life. Julian wanted to see it again, it seemed wrong that she didn't at all, he thought she was pretty and her not smiling just didn't seem natural. Julian decided to keep up the flying tour to see if it got him anywhere.

Flying over the Bay was first, he had them ten feet off the water as they flew along, then as they approached the Golden Gate Bridge, he decided to make things a little more exciting. If a slow tour of the area didn't seem to help, maybe he should try something more dramatic. He flew them up, first threading the needle between suspension cables, then flying over one of the suspension towers, then under the next one. Julian turned and threaded the needle between the cables once more than doing a dive and 180 where he flew them right back under the bridge towards San Francisco.

Laura had been watching at first, observing the tree lines for potential enemies, then possible boats and aircraft that could be a threat to them. If Julian was not observant and didn't keep his telekinetic field focused to repel fire they could be quickly knocked out of the sky. Nothing came, so Laura allowed herself to look around, watch the moonlight reflect off the water of the Bay and the bridge as Julian flew them in and around it like some kind of amusement park ride. It was an interesting sensation, the inside of his telekinetic field did tickler her skin a bit and being able to fly over the area with no actual means of powered flight did give her an excellent view of a place she'd never bothered to observe on a grand scale like this. Laura had already committed the map of San Francisco to memory during her first time in the city, living with her cousin and aunt. That experience had not lasted long, but she retained the memory and checked new maps when she had returned to make sure she was up to date on the city geography. Until Julian had offered to take her flying though, she had never really just looked at the cityscape before.

Julian kept flying, now taking them on a flying tour over San Francisco itself. Fisherman's Wharf, Twin Peaks, The Mission District, Ocean Beach, Union Square and all over the rest of the city. Julian saw her eyes seem less focused than before, her posture was relaxed now and Laura was just looking at the city from up top for the first time. He smiled, it was nice to see her not look like she was just waiting for another fight.

They ended at Golden Gate Park, where the Celestial which never moved, never gave any indication it was more than just a giant golden statue that no force on Earth could move or damage. Green Day had set up a concert nearby, in the shadow though and it was still going on. Julian flew them in a bit, hovering in the air. Julian didn't know if Laura had ever actually listened to music before, but what the hell, he told he'd take her flying and felt like taking a short break, maybe catching some free music would help her out.

_Do you know what's worth fighting for _

_When it's not worth dying for?_

_Does it take your breath away and make you feel yourself suffocating?_

_Does the pain weigh out the pride?_

_And you look for a place to hide?_

_Did someone break your heart inside?_

_You're in ruins_

_One 21 guns_

_Lay down your arms_

_Give up the fight_

_One 21 guns_

_Throw up your arms _

_You and I_

Julian looked over at Laura, Laura wasn't looking at him, she was just listening, not noticing him, he saw her posture still relaxed, at least she didn't seem to hate it.

_When you're at the end of the road_

_And you lose all sense of control_

_And your thoughts have taken their toll_

_When your mind breaks all the spirit of your soul_

_Your faith walks on broken glass_

_And the hangover doesn't pass_

_Nothing's ever built to last_

_You're in ruins_

_One 21 guns_

_Lay down your arms_

_Give up the fight_

_One 21 guns_

_Throw up your arms _

_You and I_

Laura wasn't sure what the music was doing for her, but the tempo of the song and the singer's voice was relaxing and some of the lyrics felt somewhat familiar or comforting.

_Did you try to live on your own_

_When you burned down your house and home?_

_Did you stand too close to the fire?_

_Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone_

_When it's time to live and let die_

_And you can't get another try_

_Something inside this heart has died_

_You're in ruins_

_One 21 guns_

_Lay down your arms_

_Give up the fight_

_One 21 guns_

_Throw up your arms _

_You and I_

Julian hadn't noticed his arm slipping around Laura's waist, he'd just been listening and then suddenly had felt himself bringing her closer to him inside his telekinetic field. The song ended, the crowd cheered the band and Laura didn't seem to be pushing away from the contact. Then someone seemed to notice their flying up there and they actually got cheers, Julian did have to admit he did like this about San Francisco, they had embraced the X-Men and their strange abilities. He pushed his telekinetic field out in the form of giant clapping hands to add his own applause then had one hand wave and flew off with Laura, his arm released from her side.

Laura was relaxed and had actually not noticed the physical contact with Julian until he had brought her right to his side and did not want to shock him and shove him away, possibly disrupting their flight. Laura looked over at him as he flew them, the proximity to him when they had listened to the song had felt oddly pleasing, like there wasn't anything to worry about in that moment.

They still didn't talk, Julian took them on one last long sweeping flight around the city, then angled them back towards the X-Men's new home.

Julian brought them up first, giving Laura a new aerial view of the X-Men's base and then gave them one last look of the entire San Francisco Bay.

"Feel better?" Julian asked as he floated there with Laura looking at the moonlit landscape.

"I do feel more relaxed yes, thank you." Laura said she tried a bit of a smile, she knew such things put people at ease and Julian had seemed to want to help her relax and he had done so.

"I don't think I've seen you smile since Foley saved your life, it looks nice. You should do it more often." Julian said to her as he enjoyed the smile before it went away, she did not do that nearly enough.

"I have no trouble with the mechanical motion of it, it is just an unfamiliar thing for me. I will try as you suggest, it does seem to put people at ease." Laura explained herself, then offered to try it more, as Julian did seem to enjoy it and perhaps others would as well.

"It sort of helps if you have something to smile about as well, did you like it when we stopped at the concert?" Julian asked, then mentally slapped himself, why was he mentioning that of all things? It was when he'd pulled her close to him like they were on a date, but he had just been trying to be a friend.

"It was interesting, I found the music soothing for some reason, I don't quite know why." Laura replied as she thought back to the concert and wondered if Julian was trying to gauge her reaction to the physical contact.

"Music generally is like that, you can't quite say why you might like it, you just do. I'm not a huge rock and roll guy but I do like to play AC/DC for some reason I can't quite figure out." Julian said as he thought about what Laura was said, she had appreciated the music, she didn't know why but she did.

Julian told himself he would have to try and find some time to get her some CDs or something to listen to and let her find what she liked. Julian didn't like that she seemed to think her life was so much more disposable than his or any of their teammates, it just wasn't right. Laura was a very pretty girl who had shown a capacity to grow with the team, it seemed wrong for her to just throw her life away because it _might _save someone else's.

"I have been told such things, but I have never had much time to listen to music before." Laura mentioned as she thought back to her one other actual concert experience, it had actually been in San Francisco, with Megan at a Dazzler concert.

"You should take the time to try it out, it's a good way to relax if you are having a hard day or just need to mellow out and get your mind off things." Julian suggested, trying to help her find better ways to branch out her interests. He wasn't sure if her sole activity besides team missions was time in the Danger Room, but it could be possible.

"I will consider it." Laura acknowledged his suggestion, then felt a lift in the telekinetic field as he lifted them a bit higher.

"I want to ask you to do something Laura, you don't have to say yes or no, I just want you to think about it." Julian said as he brought them up higher until they could see for a wide distance, miles and miles of open space.

"What do you want?" Laura asked, wondering if he was going to make a physical advance.

"I want you to think about all of us when you're doing what you've been asked to do. Cessily, Sooraya, Josh, Megan, Hisaki, Nori, David and me, I want you to know if you died out there, we'd care, a lot. We lost so much before they finally decided to close that damn mausoleum in New York and come out here for a fresh start. I don't want to lose any more friends Laura, it scares me, there are so few of us left, mutants and the number only goes down. I still have a dream where I see the rocket attack on the bus, when Brian died, I try to use my telekinesis to stop the rocket but more keeping, I can't stop them all and he dies again. I hear Josh wakes up screaming sometimes, I know he's remembering Laurie die in his arms. I'm tired of losing friends, I don't want to lose you too." Julian asked as he actually brought his arm around her waist again and drew her close once more, intentionally.

"I do not know how to respond to that, or what you are doing now." Laura told Julian, she did not fight his motion though, his telekinetic field did give a somewhat relaxing sensation and Laura did not feel threatened by it.

"I guess I'm just trying to let you know I'd care if you were hurt, even if it was temporary because you can heal. You shouldn't have to feel pain like that, you're younger than I am and you've had to deal with so much… I just want you to stop having to think you're disposable or replaceable, clone or not you shouldn't think that. I don't know exactly how I do feel about you, but I know it would hurt a lot if I lost you." Julian said as he raised his free hand and rested the back of it against her cheek.

"I appreciate your concern. I must ask though, are you trying to engage me in a romantic manner?" Laura tried reassuring Julian she did understand his concern for her wellbeing, but considered if it sprung from a purely physical desire.

"I don't know, I don't think so. I was just trying to tell you I care Laura. That's all I wanted to tell you, I do think you're pretty, I won't lie about that. I appreciate that you're willing to go so far to help me or Cessily or any of the others, but I don't want you to die even if it saved my life, because I know there has to be a better way. We're X-Men, we're always trying to find a better way and that should include us having to die so someone else can live." Julian said as he lightly touched her arm with his free hand. It felt strange to have this much physical contact with her, but it did not feel wrong.

"You are attracted to me though? You do not fear that I might harm you?" Laura asked, wondering if her sense of smell was correct when it came to the pheromones Julian's body was creating.

"Laura, I don't think you'd ever really try to hurt me. Yeah I'm sure you'd kick my ass a bit if I tried to make a move on you without your permission, but I'd deserve it anyway." Julian answered as he continued to trace his fingers across her surprisingly soft skin.

"I do not think I would, I can not certain but I do not think I would." Laura said, not quite sure why she said it to him, then looked at Julian.

Julian decided to hell with it, he'd seen her smile, tried to tell her she was important and she did somewhat receptive and possibly invited him to do it. He kissed her lightly, then he applied more pressure as she did not resist, his arm hanging free touched hers and they held hands during the embrace. The kiss continued, Laura returned with one of their own as they let everything else fade away for the moment.

Then they were interrupted, Laura had a beeping sound coming from her pocket. _Not now! _Laura thought, kissing Julian had felt good, much better than it felt when she cut herself and his embrace let her drop her guard.

"I must go… I am sorry. I will try and return soon, I do wish to understand this better." Laura said as Julian seemed disappointed, then flew them down to the entrance of the Greymalkin building. He held her hand as she walked away and let it go, then felt a sudden presence behind him. Julian sighed, just when he'd gotten her to drop some of her defenses.

"Not just looking to get lucky are you kid?" It was Wolverine behind him, _shit, you just kissed the guy's sister/clone right in front of him._

"Never, I was trying to tell her there were better things in life than being X-23, one thing kinda led to another during that, I'm pretty sure it was mutual. What's she mixed up in? She wouldn't say much but I could tell it's not helping her get away from what those bastards in The Facility did to her." Julian said with a straight face right into Wolverine's eyes.

"Good. Keep it up kid, but don't ask questions about what she is in to anybody. It will cause a lot of trouble for you and her. If you can get here to quit it though, you'd be doing her a real favour and I'll see what I can do about hooking you and your pals up with some beer on your birthday. You mess her up worse than before though by leading her along, I will take your heart out though." Wolverine said slapping his shoulder as he started walking inside as well.

"I think she'd beat you to it, and I'd deserve it anyway." Julian said after him as he powered up his telekinesis and flew up again and thought about what had just happened.

Julian would need to ask Cessily and Sooraya and Laura's current roommates Hisako and Megan to let him know the second she got back from wherever she was going, if she got back. _No, can't think like, she'll make it back, I need to know what happened there, does she want something with me or was she just confused by what her body's telling her when she's near me? Do I like her? Really like her? Could I love her? Shit…This is way too confusing right now Still, I need to see her again, if anything I can at least try and get her to quit whatever she's involved in. _Julian thought to himself as he went out to fly again, trying to put the whole night in perspective.

Laura walked down to her room to retrieve her bag holding her X-Force uniform and equipment, Cyclops had another threat for them to deal with and she needed to do her part. It had not felt good to leave Julian at that moment but she had her orders. It was possible she had acted on pure hormones, her body still produced such things that at times would lead her to be attracted to males, especially more physically attractive ones like Julian. Still, the sensations had been relaxing and she had felt less tense than she had in a long time. It would need to be studied further, understood, Julian had produced some very conflicted feelings in her since he had saved her life during their battle with Nimrod. Laura needed to understand them once and for all, if only to see if she could better comprehend the emotions she did not quite understand yet.

Authors Note: Please read and review, first piece of finished writing in a while so I'd like some feedback, trying to dump some ideas out of my brain that have been swirling around for a while.

Additional A/N: Larger, multi chapter, slightly AU story being written about Laura/Julian right now that I've been preparing to post all at once, as I will only be delivering completely finished work to avoid risk of leaving anything unfinished and readers frustrate. Story was started last week and I have it roughly 80-85% complete in actual words with editing, fixing chapter breaks, perspective breaks and the like to have to be adjusted as I do so. Good news is when I'm done you get it all at once.


End file.
